From the snowbound Chinese border to holy Ganges towns, Indians begin voting in the month-long general election.

700 million voters. Over 120 constituencies.

A steady stream of India's voters have been heading to the polls to have their say in the world's biggest democratic elections.

Which will take a month to complete.

The first round of voting spans some of the poorest insurgency-ridden states in north and central India.

Security has taken center-stage.

The government has deployed more than two million security personnel across the country.

In the city of Raipur, some voters spelt out their wishes loud and clear:

[Pankaj, Voter]:
"We want peace and stability in the country so I have come here to vote for a leader who can prove to be strong and rid our country of the terrorism menace."

Maoist rebels -- who say they are fighting for the rights of poor farmers -- have vowed to disrupt the elections.

Dozens of people have been killed in suspected Maoist violence in the last week alone.

The ruling Congress-led coalition government is facing a challenge from the main opposition BJP-led alliance.

The country is in the middle if an economic slowdown and preliminary polls show they may need the support of regional parties to form a stable coalition.

The outcome of the polls won't be known until May 16th, when the five phases of voting are complete.